


The Day That Never Ended

by FancyNancy504



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dream Team SMP Setting (Video Blogging RPF), Blood and Injury, Character Death, Character Death In Dream, Death, Dream SMP Ensemble Meet, Dream Smp, Dream Team SMP References (Video Blogging RPF), Dream Team SMP Roleplay (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Graphic Description, Gun Violence, Mentioned Dream SMP Ensemble, Minecraft, Post-Exile Arc on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Post-Manberg Festival on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), Repeating Scenarios, SMP, Sad, Tales From The SMP, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:36:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29946648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FancyNancy504/pseuds/FancyNancy504
Summary: A Reimagined Tales From the SMP StoryKarl wakes up in a seemingly endless time loop, unsure of what exactly is going on, but knowing that he has to be the one to fix it. Each time is slightly different than the last, and it seems like someone or something is trying to tell Karl something...but is this real?TW // repetition , death , gunshots , blood and injury descriptions , possible derealization ?
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & GeorgeNotFound & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Karl Jacobs & Sapnap, Dream SMP Ensemble & Karl Jacobs, Karl Jacobs & Niki | Nihachu & Cara | Captain Puffy & Badboyhalo & Fundy, Karl Jacobs & Schlatt & Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & Philza, Karl Jacobs & TommyInnit & Tubbo & Ranboo & Sam | Awesamdude
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This took me a long time to write and even if this gets 100 hits, I'm really proud of how it turned out! Thank you for giving it a read if you decide to and I hope you enjoy!

The sun was shining bright, glistening and reflecting off the calm, warm waters below. The water gently splashed up against the sides of the bridge that stretched across the lake, causing it to softly sway and creak as a figure crossed over the weather-worn boards. He was unsure of where he came from, but confident in where he was going, each step surer and firmer than the last.

Small fish were darting around in the lake, weaving in and out of the tendrils of seaweed that covered the lake floor, chasing each other as if they were playing a game of tag.

A brick building rose out of the center of the lake, standing tall and proud under the golden rays of the sun. It was covered in greenery that danced in the light breeze, almost giving the illusion that the building itself was alive and moving.

He knew that this was his destination. He could hear laughter and see movement from inside and knew that his friends were there, waiting for him to arrive.

Karl approached the community house with a smile on his face, ready to greet his friends. Pushing open the door to the gathering place, he stepped inside. 

“Karl!” Wilbur’s warm voice carried across the room as the door latched shut.

“Hi Karl!” Puffy and Phil looked up from their drinks and raised their glasses in the air to welcome Karl.

“Heh, the whole loser gang is here!” Schlatt slapped Wilbur’s shoulder as he nodded in Karl’s direction, laughing.

Karl smiled; he wasn’t used to receiving warm welcomes like this, but it felt nice. As he crossed the room to join his friends, he noticed a cloaked figure sitting alone in the opposite corner of the room, but he paid him no mind. His friends were more important than someone who didn’t want to socialize.

The world seemed to blur around him as Karl sat down and began talking to everyone. They were laughing and having an amazing time. It was as if none of them remembered the terrible things that had happened, and they were just here for a good time.

“And—and then,” Phil was barely keeping it together as he tried to finish his story. Wilbur had his head in his hands, Puffy was beaming, and Schlatt was on the edge of his seat, his chin resting on folded hands, waiting for Phil to get the words out so he could pounce on the comedic opportunity.

Karl was trying not to laugh at Wilbur, who was beet red in the face and cowering in his chair.

“He looks at me, with the gold from my chest still in his hands by the way, and goes, “A piglin stole it, Dad! I don’t know where it is!”” Phil leaned back in his chair, laughing hysterically.

Puffy started giggling uncontrollably, “Wilbur, that’s adorable!”

Wilbur sank even lower in his chair, offering a playful glare in Phil’s direction, which only made Phil laugh even harder.

“Wilbur, even as a child, you were obsessed with piglins…guess it was foreshadowing, huh?”

“What on earth is that supposed to mean, Schlatt?” Wilbur asked, finally pulling himself up and beginning to smile a bit.

“Well, you look like one, after all, you know. It was just…meant to be, as one could say.”

Wilbur’s smile dropped.

Karl clapped his hands over his mouth, suppressing his laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” The cloaked man in the corner looked up, tilting his head as he asked the question. A shadow from a nearby window was cast on his face, making it impossible to recognize him.

Everyone quickly quieted, the mood ruined and an unsettling atmosphere beginning to fill the air.

“Laughter,” the man chuckled a bit as he stood up from his table, the shadow still covering his face, “such a strange thing. It’s supposed to bring people together, but I think it tears them apart.”

“Uh, mate? Are you on something?” Phil glanced at Karl and Wilbur, questions dancing behind his eyes.

“No, no I’m thinking quite clearly actually,” the man began to walk towards the group.

Everyone stood up at the same time, tension filling the community house like a flash flood.

“He—hey man, just, hang on a second,” Schlatt’s voice quivered slightly as he spoke.

“Do you all know who I am?” the man asked as he stepped closer.

Everyone nodded reluctantly except for Karl. He looked at his friends, confused, then back to the man. His face was blurry, and Karl couldn’t seem to focus on it. How did everyone know who he was but Karl? The voice wasn’t familiar…in fact, Karl didn’t think he’d ever heard this man before. 

“Then you’ll know why I’m here?”

“Yes, we know. But how about you turn around, walk out, and leave us alone?” Puffy stood tall as she spoke the daring words, but Karl noticed her hands, which were clenched into fists by her side, were shaking.

The man stopped walking and tilted his head at them.

Wilbur suddenly stepped forward in front of Puffy, “Puffy, are you glad that I died?”

Puffy took a startled step backward, “What?”

“Wilbur, you blew up an entire country, bro, no one can be upset that you died,” Schlatt stepped up, his face dark and menacing.

“Not so fast,” Phil’s hand flew to his sword handle, “Schlatt, you ruled as a dictator and made L’manburg into hell.”

“And you sliced your son’s chest open!”

“He asked me to do it!”

And suddenly, they were arguing. Voices were raised and the chilling sound of weapons being drawn from their holsters filled the room. Karl stood alone, shocked, watching his friends threaten and fight with each other. They were…screaming at each other. The feeling of peace that Karl had felt earlier, the idea of setting aside the past and forgiving and forgetting, it was gone. The room had turned hostile, and Karl was left watching it unfold. He wanted to step in and stop them, but something kept him back. Maybe it was fear, maybe it was something else, but he didn’t make a sound.

A single gunshot filled the room, quickly followed by three others.

Karl jumped at the sounds, staring at his friends, wondering if it came from one of them. But as he watched, one by one, they collapsed to the floor and didn’t move. A gentle stream of blood trickled from Puffy’s open mouth onto the floor.

Karl stared at the four bodies in front of him, frozen in shock.

“You see? Laughter drives people apart.”

He whipped around. The man was standing there, holding a smoking gun. He smiled at Karl from under the hood of his cloak, “They never learn, you know. I’ve tried to teach them, but they just never understand.”

“What did you do?” Karl whispered, terrified.

The man stepped closer and bent over slightly so he was eye level with Karl, “I will rule the world,” he said with a grin. Reaching up, he grabbed his hood and threw it off, making eye contact with Karl, staring straight into his soul. A flash of red.


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Karl approached the community house with a small smile on his face, ready to greet his friends. Pushing open the door to the gathering place, he stepped inside.

He was instantly met with the smell of freshly baked cookies and a warm, crackling fire. It reminded him of home.

“Karl! You made it!” Niki bounced over to where Karl was standing and offered him a small hug. She was beaming from ear and to ear.

From across the room, Fundy was talking to Technoblade. Both glanced up from their conversation and waved.

Bad walked up behind Niki, holding a plate of gooey chocolate chip cookies.

“Hi Karl! Want one? Niki just made them!”

Karl nodded and gratefully took one. He felt slightly unsettled by the whole situation, but he couldn’t quite figure out why. Then he spotted the man. A cloaked, hunched over figure sitting in the back of the community house, arms crossed and head down.

Karl tensed, “Bad? Who is that man over there?” Karl gestured to where he was seated.

Bad glanced over to where Karl was looking, “Oh! He’s a guest!”

“What do you mean a—”

“Karl!” Fundy called to Karl and was motioning for him to come over.

Karl gave one more look to the man in the corner before deciding to shrug off his uneasy feeling and go join his friends.

With the crackling fire in the background, the world seemed to blur around him as Karl sat down and began talking to everyone. They were laughing and having an amazing time. It was as if none of them remembered the terrible things that had happened, and they were just here for a good time.

“Wait, Technoblade,” Bad asked, pausing the other side conversations that were currently happening, “So where was Tommy hiding again?”

“Under my house in a stupid little dirt hole he dug out for himself! He thought I would never find him…” Technoblade chucked at the memory, “I’ve never met a kid quite like Tommy before. It’s upsetting what happened.”

Niki laughed a bit at what Technoblade said, then sobered, “Yeah, it is. But I’m glad you have so many wonderful memories to share about him.”

Fundy scoffed, “Wonderful? All Tommy knew how to do was yell at people and say “mmmm women!””

Karl laughed, and slowly, the others joined in to. It wasn’t crazy happy laughter, but it was laughter that felt like medicine. Medicine helping to cure a harsh hole in the heart. The fire snapped and popped in the background as if it were gently laughing along with them.

“Why are you laughing?” The cloaked man in the corner looked up, tilting his head as he asked the question. A shadow from a nearby window was cast on his face, making it impossible to recognize him.

Everyone quickly quieted, their laughter replaced by solemn looks and frowns. Karl felt his whole body tense. This felt familiar. Why did it feel familiar?

“Laughter,” the man chuckled a bit as he stood up from his table, the shadow still covering his face, “such a strange thing. It’s supposed to help heal a wound in the soul, but I think it destroys it.”

“Are you okay?” Bad asked, “That’s quite a deep statement…” The atmosphere in the room began to shift.

“Yes, yes, I’m thinking quite clearly actually,” the man began to walk towards the group.

Everyone stood up at the same time, tension filling the community house like a flash flood.

Karl was scared. He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something horrible was about to happen.

“Hey, just, take it easy now,” Technoblade’s hand flashed to his sword hilt, his eyes wide with caution. Or was it fear?

“Do you all know who I am?” the man asked as he stepped closer.

Everyone nodded reluctantly except for Karl. He looked at his friends, confused and worried, then back to the man. His face was blurry, and Karl couldn’t get his eyes to focus on it. How did everyone know who he was but Karl? The voice didn’t seem familiar…but Karl did feel like he had heard it somewhere before.

The feeling of panic in the bottom of Karl’s stomach began to churn faster. Something wasn’t right.

“Then you’ll know why I’m here?”

Fundy stepped forward, “Yeah, we do, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it. We can fight you, you know? You’re not going to win.”

The man stopped walking and tilted his head at them.

“Fundy!” Niki stepped out in front of him, placing her hands on her hips, “You used me to try and get power! How could you do that? I thought we were friends!”

Fundy looked at her, a bit confused, but then a mischievous smile spread across his face, “Oh Niki. When are you gonna realize that I don’t care anymore? Everyone can go fu—”

“Language!”

“Oh Bad, just shut up, you’re the one trying to take over the world with that stupid egg of yours,” Technoblade’s hand had not budged from his sword handle and now it clutched it even tighter.

“Says the man who destroyed L’manburg!” Bad’s voice was raised and there a not-so-subtle hint of hostility behind the words.

“You didn’t even care!” Niki’s eyes began to fill with angry tears, “You all let my country be destroyed because you stopped caring!”

“Oh, that’s bull—”

“Language!”

Karl tried to step in and stop the arguing. He knew that this was bad, he knew that they needed to stop, but he couldn’t get anyone’s attention. The room blew up around him as everyone argued louder and louder. A sword was drawn; shields were pulled up; the words being spoken became progressively harsher and meaner. It was as if all the inner trauma and built-up anger were being released in one fell swoop, and all Karl could do was stand back and watch.

A single gunshot filled the room, quickly followed by three others.

Karl jumped at the sounds, staring at his friends. For a second he wondered if it came from one of them, but something told him that was wrong. Because as he watched, one by one, they collapsed to the floor and didn’t move. A gentle stream of blood trickled from a black hole in Technoblade’s head and ran onto the floor.

Karl stared at the four bodies in front of him, frozen in shock, hating himself for not doing something before it could happen.

“You see? Laughter destroys the soul.”

He spun around. The man was standing there, holding a smoking gun. He smiled at Karl from under the hood of his cloak, “They never learn, you know. I’ve tried to teach them, but they just never understand.”

“What did you do?” Karl asked, terrified and angry.

The man stepped closer and bent over slightly so he was eye level with Karl, “I will rule the world,” he said with a grin. Reaching up, he grabbed his hood and threw it off, making eye contact with Karl, staring straight into his soul. A flash of red.


	3. Chapter 3

Karl approached the community house with a frown on his face, wondering if he should greet his friends. Pushing open the door to the gathering place with caution, he stepped inside.

His first thought was chaos. But as he walked deeper into the house, he spotted Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo, all laughing together in a corner, with Sam standing close by with his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

This time, however, Karl knew that something wasn’t right. He could almost grasp what it was, but every time he felt like he was almost there, it vanished.

“Mr. Karl Jacobs!” Tubbo’s voice rang out above the playful arguing between Tommy and Ranboo.

Tommy shoved Ranboo to the side, then looked up and shouted, “Karl! The time traveler who gets all the women!”

Karl lifted a hand to acknowledge them, and then went back to trying to remember why everything felt so horribly wrong.

His eyes were drawn to the corner of the community house that was opposite the door. There, in the corner, hunched over in a black cloak, sat the man Karl knew was the source of his uneasiness. Karl began walking over to him, but a hand grabbed his shoulder.

He spun around, panicked, but was only met with Sam’s calm face.

“Come on, Karl,” he said with a smile, “Come sit with us.”

Karl looked back over at the man in the corner. He didn’t move and Sam was gently tugging on Karl’s arm. Maybe he could relax for a little bit.

Deciding to take Sam up on his offer, the world seemed to blur around him as Karl sat down and began talking to everyone. They were laughing and having an amazing time. It was as if none of them remembered the terrible things that had happened, and they were just here for a good time.

“Tubbo do you remember that time I trapped you in a box?”

“And called me Tubbox,” Tubbo’s face lit up with a sad smile as he nodded.

“Ranboo,” Tommy turned to face him, “I know we never talked much, but man I was so happy to see you with Tubbo. You made it easier. I owe you one for that.”

Ranboo put a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “We’re always here for you. You don’t owe us anything.”

“Thank you, Ranboo. And Sam?” Tommy looked down at the table, unable to make eye contact, “You—you kept me going a lot longer. That’s something I want—no need—you to know,” he finally looked up, the rims of his eyes reddening, “All of you, you all deserve a lot more than a simple ‘thank you’.”

Karl felt his heart warm and his eyes grow watery as he watched and listened to the interaction between his friends. He didn’t want to speak up and didn’t feel the need to. It was a private moment that he was able to be a part of and he would never want to ruin it.

“Tommy, remember that time in Pogtopia, when you got trapped in the wall?” Tubbo’s sad smile started twitching a bit.

Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Oh? What is this story that I don’t know about?” Ranboo leaned in closer, encouraging Tubbo to continue.

“Well, he was using pistons and redstone, and he accidentally trapped himself in a really small corner. And we all just sat and laughed at him for the longest time, and it was so, so funny,” Tubbo began to laugh softly at the memory.

“There was no need to bring that up, Tubbo,” Tommy grumbled, picking at an invisible speck on the table.

Ranboo and Sam shared a look, and both began laughing with Tubbo. Karl noticed Tommy’s ears grow pink and couldn’t help but join in.

“Why are you laughing?”

Karl froze as the cloaked man in the corner looked up, tilting his head as he asked the question. A shadow from a nearby window was cast on his face, making it impossible to recognize him.

Everyone else quickly quieted as well, the laughter and lighthearted mood quickly fading into a somber and confused silence.

Karl suddenly remembered what was going to happen. He tried to stand up to stop it, but his legs wouldn’t work.

Instead, he watched in growing panic as the man stood up from his table, “Laughter,” he said, chuckling a bit, the shadow still covering his face, “such a strange thing. It’s supposed to help distract from the problem at hand, but I think it only makes the issue more obvious.”

Ranboo offered a nervous chuckle, “What?”

“You heard me,” the man began to walk towards the group.

Everyone stood up at the same time, tension filling the community house like a flash flood.

Karl felt like he couldn’t move. He was frozen in time, unable to do or say anything. He knew what was going to happen. They would start arguing, and it would get worse and worse until they all died. They couldn’t die too. Karl couldn’t let that happen; he had to stop it.

“Hey fella, maybe just calm down a bit,” Sam bravely stepped out in front of them, but Karl was sure he heard his voice shake a bit.

“Do you all know who I am?” the man asked as he stepped closer.

Everyone nodded reluctantly except for Karl. He wanted to nod. Yes, he did know this man; he was a murderer! But, as much as he wished he could say yes, he couldn’t. How could he know who someone was without knowing who they were? The man’s face was blurry, and Karl couldn’t get his eyes to focus on it, even though he tried his hardest.

“Then you’ll know why I’m here?”

“Yeah, but you can just see yourself out the door, we don’t want you here,” Sam once again spoke for the group, his concern for Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo outweighing the obvious fear in his eyes.

The man stopped waking and tilted his head at them.

Tubbo slowly turned around to face Tommy, his face changing into something Karl couldn’t recognize, “Tommy, you died. You left me. Alone! After everything we’ve been through, you didn’t even care enough to say goodbye!”

Tommy took a startled step backward, “Tubbo…I didn’t have a choice! My life was hell. It’s been hell ever since Wilbur died! But I never saw you trying to help or make me feel better,” Tommy’s eyes narrowed, turning dark as he stared at his best friend.

“”The discs were worth more than you ever were,” does that sound familiar, Tommy? Does it?”

“That wasn’t me!”

“Actually,” Ranboo stepped up next to Tubbo, “That most definitely was you who said that. And you meant it.”

“Hang on just a moment,” Sam had turned around and moved closer to Tommy, “Were either of you forced into exile for months while being put under constant emotional abuse?”

“Sam, why are you taking his side? Tommy is the reason L’manburg got destroyed in the first place!” Tubbo was breathing heavily, glaring at Tommy with a hatred Karl had never seen before.

“Well, that’s just not true! Tubbo, you were the terrible leader who let it happen!”

Ranboo’s hand flew to his sword and Sam was quick to mimic the action, “Not so fast, Ranboo.”

“Oh? What are you gonna do? Play pretend with me so I feel like I have a parental figure I can trust? No thanks, Sam,” Ranboo smiled mockingly, gripping the handle of his sword tighter.

“Ranboo, how dare you!” Tommy yelled, stepping in front of Sam, and pulling out his sword.

Everyone immediately whipped out their weapons and pointed them at each other, voices raised and words as sharp as a double-edged sword flying without care.

Karl slowly backed away, shocked and scared. He wanted to yell at them, scream even. Anything to get them to stop fighting. But the words wouldn’t leave his mouth, no matter how hard he tried. He knew what was about to happen, and he didn’t want to watch, but his eyes were glued to the scene.

A single gunshot filled the room, quickly followed by three others.

Karl squeezed his eyes shut and clapped his hands over his ears, willing the horror to go away, willing it to all be a bad dream.

But when he opened his eyes again, he didn’t wake up in his bed. Instead, he was staring at four dead bodies, each with a bullet wound in the center of their chest that was slowly bleeding onto the floor.

“You see? Laughter makes the problem more obvious.”

Karl turned to face the cloaked man holding the smoking gun with tears in his eyes, “Why are you doing this?”

The man stepped closer and bent over slightly so he was eye level with Karl, “I will rule the world,” he said with a grin. Reaching up, he grabbed his hood and threw it off, making eye contact with Karl, staring straight into his soul. Karl tried to close his eyes first, but it was too late. A flash of red.


	4. Chapter 4

Karl approached the community house with a sense of urgency and panic, wondering if this was the time that he could save his friends. Shoving open the door to the gathering place, he dashed inside.

Dream, Sapnap, George, and Quackity were all there, huddled together and laughing hysterically at something. Karl froze. No, no, no, not them!

He quickly scanned the room for the hooded figure and spotted him in the corner opposite the door. Something squeezed his chest tight, and Karl suddenly felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Karl!” Quackity ran up to him, “Are you okay?”

Karl shook his head. No, he wasn’t okay. His closest friends were about to die in front of him and he didn’t know how to stop it.

“Come over here and sit with us, Karl, you look like you need a breather,” George motioned from across the room for Karl to walk over.

Karl shook his head, but his feet began moving toward the table anyway. Quackity gently nudged him, causing him to trip over his feet and stumble into the table.

“Karl, are you good?” Dream asked, his brow furrowed.

Karl shook his head violently this time. No, he wasn’t okay.

“Karl, what’s wrong?” Sapnap laughed a bit as he asked the question, but quickly turned serious when he saw the look on Karl’s face.

“We all have to leave,” Karl was breathing fast, maybe a little too fast, “We have to go. Please, anywhere but here.”

For a moment, they all just stared at Karl with blank faces. Then Quackity broke the silence, “Glad to hear it! Now come on, we haven’t hung out in forever it feels like.”

He shook ahead again, this time pointing over to the hooded man in the corner, “We. Can’t. Stay. Here.”

They all glanced over to where Karl was pointing.

“He’s just a visitor!” George said, turning back to look at Karl, “You don’t have to worry about him. He’ll leave eventually. “Just passing through” is the way he put it, I think.”

Why couldn’t they understand? Why was nothing that he was saying getting through to them?

“Dream,” Karl turned to face his friend, hoping that he would understand, “Listen to me, please. You all are going to die if you stay here. That man,” he pointed back to him, “is going to kill you all and I can’t stop it.”

Dream looked back at Karl with the same blank expression from before, but this time something seemed to flicker behind the expressionless eyes, “Okay, Karl. We can go somewhere else.”

Karl released a huge breath that he didn’t know he was holding. Okay, all they had to do was leave and everything would work out. He knew that it would.

Sapnap, Quackity, and George all followed Dream and Karl outside of the community house. They grumbled and complained but didn’t stay behind.

As they pushed open the door to step outside, however, Karl knew that this wasn’t the end.

Outside, the world had changed entirely. No more peaceful water and rickety bridge, no more bright sun and cloudless sky. No happy splashes from the fish in the lake. It was dark. The sky had gone burgundy, and the world was corrupted. Red, vine-like tendrils snaked everywhere, curving up and over the community house and stretching far into the distance. The wind was blowing, whipping small ashes through the air as if it were snowing. The water was gone, replaced by boiling hot lava instead. Soft childish laughter could be heard floating through the air, and the sound of distant explosions caused orange flames to dance along the horizon.

It looked like hell on earth had been unleashed.

Everyone took a few steps forward and then froze.

“What the fu—” Quackity’s voice faded out as they all stared at the land before them in awe and horror.

Karl squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, hoping that maybe it was all just a bad dream. That it would go away if he thought about it hard enough.

But nothing changed.

He stepped beyond his friends and further out onto the now blackened and charred remains of the bridge that stretched over the lava pool.

As he did, he saw something move in his peripheral vision. He spun around to see what it was, but it had disappeared.

Then, the same movement caught his attention again, but this time to his left. He turned to look and saw something straight out of his nightmares.

All of his friends from before were lined up in a row in front of him, standing on top of the lava. Except, they weren’t his friends. At least not as he knew them.

Phil and Technoblade stood tall and proud, but each held an axe dripping with blood. Explosives littered the ground around them. A flag screaming “Anarchy” flew above them, but it was splattered with blood.

Fundy was kneeling, holding his head in his hands and sobbing, a gravestone with no words resting in front of him. Schlatt hovered behind him, his ghostly skin reflecting the fiery glow of the lava below.

Next to Fundy stood Niki, her pink hair turned red from the glow of the sky. She held a clean sword in one hand, and a torch in the other. A gleeful smile stretched across her face as fire began to spread from under her feet.

Tommy, Tubbo, and Ranboo were all clustered together further down. At first glance, they looked normal. But then they turned around. Tommy’s chest had been slashed open and his face was battered and bruised. He clutched a music disc in his hands and was staring into the distance, a glossy smile on his face.

Tubbo stood next to Tommy, a hand on his shoulder. He was squeezing a rolled-up piece of paper in his other hand. His clothes were ragged and filthy, and dirt was smeared all over his face. His eyes were motionless, his face blank of any emotion, almost as if he was a robot.

Ranboo stood slightly off to the side, bent over with his hands covering his ears, muttering to himself. Red puppet strings were attached all over his body and extended up in the sky, seeming to go on forever. He was twitching and laughing and crying all at the same time, caught in an eternal loop.

Further down the line stood Sam. He was all alone, standing tall like a soldier. There were tears running down his face, but he never once moved or flinched.

Puffy and Bad stood together, facing each other with swords raised. Bad’s skin was white, standing out harshly against the hellish environment. Puffy wore a captain’s coat and she clutched a book to her chest. In slow motion, the two fought. Swords clashing and barely missing the fatal blows that would have ended it all. In their eyes, only hatred flowed.

Finally, there was Wilbur. Wilbur stood with his back against the wind, his friends and family behind him. He wore a heavy trench coat that was stained with blood. In his hands, he held playing cards. One by one, he picked them off and tossed them down into the lava, where they sizzled and burned for a moment before sinking beneath the surface. As he threw down the final card, he looked up and made eye contact with Karl. His eyes were pitch black and as he smiled, an explosion knocked Karl onto his knees.

When he looked up, everyone was gone.

Karl felt sick to his stomach. Those were his friends. Friends that he had just talked too! And now, they were all twisted, destructive versions of themselves.

“Karl!” Sapnap ran over and helped lift Karl to his feet, “Karl what do we do?”

He glanced at Sapnap. He was trembling and his eyes kept darting from side to side.

Karl wished he had the answers. But he couldn’t take his mind off what he had just seen.

“Why are you scared?”

Karl whirled around, uncontrollable panic beginning to take over. The cloaked man stepped out from the community house, swirls of debris and sparks flying around him.

“Fear isn’t meant to control you; it’s only meant to spur you into action.”

The world suddenly began to shake as an earthquake ripped through the land. The vines rocked and swayed along with the quake, but Karl and everyone else watched in horror as the community house crumbled and collapsed in front of them. A huge cloud of dust, ashes, and sparks from the lava rose from the collapsed building, quickly fanning out and covering the landscape, making it impossible to see anything.

Karl reached his hands out, trying to feel for his friends. But they weren’t there anymore.

“Guys?” He called out, frantic.

The hooded man’s laughter came floating through the air. This wasn’t the childish giggles from before, this was a sinister, malicious laughter that gave Karl chills down to the bone.

“Why are you doing this?” Karl called out, stumbling around, trying to find his friends.

Suddenly, the world went silent.

A single gunshot sounded out, quickly followed by three others.

Karl fell to his knees, knowing exactly what those sounds meant.

“Oh Karl,” the man appeared out of the cloud, holding the smoking gun in his hand, “Have you figured it out yet?”

Silent tears fell down Karl’s cheeks and he looked up at the man in anger, “Why don’t you kill me instead?”

He laughed, “I wish I could,” he knelt down so he was eye-level with Karl, “But you’ve been selected for a fate worse than death.”

Karl flinched as the man spoke. He wanted to hurt him, to push him into the lava, to kill him.

“Do you know who I am yet, Karl?”

Karl looked at him with anger. This man didn’t deserve to talk to him. This man deserved to die for what he had done. Standing up, Karl lunged at him. But instead of making contact like he was expecting too, he sailed right through the man and landed on the bridge on the other side of him.

Laughter filled the air as Karl jumped up, confused and angry.

“You can’t kill me,” the man hissed.

“Why not?” Karl shouted, tears gathering in his eyes again,

“Because,” he smirked, “I’m just you.”

* * *

Karl jerked awake in a cold sweat. Blinding white walls and floors filled his vision on every side. He scrambled up to his knees, breathing heavily.

The Inbetween. His home away from home. Confused, Karl glanced around, unsure of how he’d gotten there. Had he time traveled? What he just experienced…it felt real, but Karl knew that it wasn’t. It had just been a terrible, terrible nightmare.

Suddenly, a book shimmered on the floor in front of him.

Karl reached out and grabbed it tentatively. Flipping it open, he began to read:

_Karl, do not be afraid of what you have just been shown. It is a sign for you. A sign of what’s to come if you cannot bring everyone together. In fact, it’s already begun. But it’s not too late to stop it. You can show people what their hatred and anger will do to them. You can save them, Karl._

_The Inbetween has always been more than just a place for time travel. It is a place of lessons and a place of knowledge. Do not throw away your knowledge. Use it for good, unlike so many before you have done. Use it to save your family. Warn them. And then run._

**Author's Note:**

> Lol hi! This is my longest fic yet and I’m very proud of it! I put a lot of thought behind the small details and I honestly had so much fun writing this. Any and all support is much appreciated, especially if you liked it! Feel free to share this wherever and follow my Twitter: @FancyNancy504
> 
> Love you guys!


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